Journalist on Blinken trip to Asia tests positive for virus

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — The State Department says a writer accompanying U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken connected a travel to Britain and Southeast Asia has tested affirmative for COVID-19.

Spokesman Ned Price said the journalist, 1 of 12 members of the traveling property corps connected Blinken’s trip, tested affirmative for coronavirus connected Wednesday successful Malaysia. Neither Blinken, immoderate of his elder unit oregon different members of the property corps person tested positive, according to Price.

Blinken arrived successful Kuala Lumpur precocious Tuesday from Jakarta, Indonesia, and inactive plans to marque his last halt successful Bangkok, Thailand, aboriginal Wednesday. He began his existent travel successful the English metropolis of Liverpool, wherever helium participated successful a Group of Seven overseas ministers gathering implicit the weekend.

The State Department has been investigating those connected Blinken’s level for the microorganism connected a regular ground and Price said the writer had tested antagonistic successful some Liverpool and Jakarta.

Attributable to State Department Spokesperson Ned Price:

“We learned this morning, done our regular PCR testing, that a subordinate of our traveling property excavation tested affirmative for COVID-19 upon accomplishment successful Kuala Lumpur. The idiosyncratic had past tested antagonistic successful Jakarta, our erstwhile stop. The idiosyncratic who tested affirmative volition stay successful isolation, and we volition proceed to adhere to and spell beyond CDC guidance, including with our rigorous investigating protocol, for the remaining traveling party.

The Secretary and his elder unit were besides tested upon accomplishment successful Kuala Lumpur, and each tested negative.”